Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Atenas

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Atenas: $1,619 and $1,546 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
Learn more

Atenas Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Atenas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Atenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,546 in Atenas, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Atenas $1,546

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,543 in Atenas, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Atenas $2,543

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,540 in Atenas, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Atenas $3,540

Budapest costs about 5% more than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Atenas sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Atenas by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.58 ₡4,298

45.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$56.8 ₡25.5K

7.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$11.85 ₡5,314

-14.01%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.82 ₡1,711

-14.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.64 ₡1,186

-18.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.90 ₡852

-6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.25 ₡1,459

14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.38 ₡1,966

-13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.39 ₡1,070

-51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.12 ₡1,401

-42.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.13 ₡957

16.90%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.41 ₡1,528

14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.71 ₡4,802

3.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.87 ₡4,426

-32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.36 ₡4,646

41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.28 ₡1,921

-57.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.57 ₡704

30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.56 ₡1,148

-7.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.39 ₡1,071

63.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.70 ₡1,660

-73.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.69 ₡1,205

-62.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.11 ₡500

42.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$3.09 ₡1,387

-78.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.00 ₡2,690

32.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.30 ₡8,207

-66.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.68 ₡1,200

-52.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.69 ₡1,208

-24.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.23 ₡1,001

-31.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.38 ₡1,067

39.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.62 ₡725

-15.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.83 ₡3,960

124.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.56 ₡701

16.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

33.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-2.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$95.7 ₡42.9K

78.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$35.36 ₡15.9K

-33.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$51.0 ₡22.8K

-54.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$48.47 ₡21.7K

39.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$10.78 ₡4,835

75.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.90 ₡3,542

17.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$994 ₡445.7K

-46.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,652 ₡3.0M

151.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$71.0 ₡31.8K

40.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$55.1 ₡24.7K

-21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$128 ₡57.2K

-13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$129 ₡58.0K

-8.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$648 ₡290.6K

28.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$550 ₡246.8K

13.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,521 ₡682.3K

4.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,281 ₡574.3K

-8.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,322 ₡592.9K

24.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.62

-25.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Atenas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Atenas

$550 35.6% 11.5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Atenas

$356 23.1% 38.1% $98

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Atenas

$201 13% 9.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 16.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Atenas

$172 11.2% 2.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Atenas

$64 4.2% 25.4% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Atenas

$19 * 1.3% 56.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $648 in Atenas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $57.0 in Atenas. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $356 in Atenas – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

8 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Atenas 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,319 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $57.0 in Atenas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Atenas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.